Mesut Ozil has revealed that he chose Real Madrid over Barcelona in 2010 because of the way he was treated by Pep Guardiola at the time.
The 34-year-old who retired from professional football on March 22 having enjoyed a career at the highest level for over 15 years, said Jose Mourinho’s behaviour and treatment towards him made him chose Real Madrid over Barcelona.
Ozil said the Portuguese manager treated him like a star, while the then-Barca boss, Pep Guardiola did not even make an effort to meet him.
He told Marca;
“It was a decision between Real Madrid and Barcelona. And in the end it was not a case of money. I don’t know if this is known, but I visited Madrid and Barcelona at that time and the difference was Jose Mourinho. Mou gave me a VIP visit to Real Madrid. He took me to see the stadium and all the trophies they had won. That gave me goosebumps.
“The visit in Barcelona was less enthusiastic and what was more disappointing is that Pep Guardiola didn’t bother to meet me. Before that trip, I really liked Barcelona’s style of football and I could really imagine playing with them, but Madrid went all out. So Jose Mourinho was without a doubt the most important factor in my decision. After my visits, my decision was one hundred percent clear: I wanted to be a Madridista.”